The recruitment of Canton (Ohio) McKinley four-star defensive end Se'von Pittman has been one of the most closely watched situations by Ohio State fans in recent memory. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound prospect has been committed to Michigan State for months but there has been plenty of speculation recently that Pittman may not be completely firm on his verbal commitment. On Friday, Pittman gave BuckeyeGrove.com the latest on his recruiting status.

"My status is right now, I'm one-hundred percent Michigan State," said Pittman. "I may take a couple of visits, I haven't talked to my Mom or anything yet. As of right now, I'm still one-hundred percent Spartan."

Pittman listed three schools as potential destinations for an official visit.

"Probably Auburn, Alabama, and O-State," he said. "There's nothing really (specific about those schools), it's just that I could see myself playing at those three schools as well. At the same time, I'm going to sit down and think about staying a Spartan."

Pittman has kept in contact with the Ohio State coaching staff throughout most of the process, most notably head coach Luke Fickell.

"Coach (Fickell) may call me once every two weeks or something," he explained. "Me and (Fickell), we already have a relationship so we just call and talk to each other about (former teammate) Steve Miller and stuff like that. It's crazy because just last year he was with me and now he's up there with the big boys."

While rumors persist about Pittman's status, they also persist about the future of Luke Fickell's position at Ohio State. Pittman said the coaching situation wouldn't make or break Ohio State's chances of securing a visit from the talented pass rusher.

"With me visiting or not, it's really just based on me personally and what I want to do," he explained. "If I want to go to Ohio State, I'm going to go down there and check it out. No matter what, it's been said time and time again, no matter what coaching staff Ohio State has, it's Ohio State."

Pittman added that he needed to speak with his Mother before giving any type of timetable on when these potential visits could take place. Right now, the majority of his focus is being kept on his senior football season as McKinley plays its second round game on Saturday night.

"I just need to keep being a leader for my guys," he said. "We have to keep on fighting and bring our 'A' game every game."

Pittman is the No. 3 ranked prospect in the BuckeyeGrove.com class of 2012 Ohio rankings.